


Light on their Feet

by Arvanion



Series: Commissioned Work [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Cool Dragons Have Chill Day, Gen, Pre-Canon, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 18:51:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15419352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arvanion/pseuds/Arvanion
Summary: As they travel through Lycia, Nils and Ninian's thoughts still drift homewards.(Commissioned by charbartt.)





	Light on their Feet

**Author's Note:**

> A commission for [charbartt](http://charbartt.tumblr.com/), who requested sibling interactions with Nils and Ninian. It was fun to revisit FE7 to get inside the characters' heads!

The cheerful piping of a flute echoed down the hard-packed dirt street, and the villagers paused in the midst of their tasks to listen. It wasn’t unusual for musicians to pass through: the village lay along the road between the fiefdoms of Ostia and Laus, after all. Few of those travelers ever deigned to share their art with the common folk, though.

But these two--brother and sister, judging by their youth and like appearance--had none of the arrogant aloofness the villagers had come to associate with the bards who usually passed through. Here they were, performing in the  _ street _ , not some castle’s great hall or aristocrat’s villa. This fact alone would have been enough to earn them goodwill.

That the pair were obviously talented was merely a bonus.

~ ~ ~

Nils held the last note of the song for as long as his breath could last. When he finally released it and let his flute drop to his side, there was a moment of silence.

Then, almost as one, the villagers roared their approval.

_ They liked it. That’s good. Maybe we’ll be able to get some more coin for our travels. _

His red eyes flicked appraisingly down the street, sizing up the buildings.

_ Then again, perhaps not. _

The cheers were dying down, but a few enthusiastic folk were still unsatisfied. “Another! Another!”

He glanced to Ninian. Though she’d schooled her features into polite appreciation, he could tell that she was tired.

_ But if someone’s asking her to dance again, she’s not going to say no, either… _

He decided to take matters into his own hands. “Sorry, everyone, but that’s all we can manage. We still have a ways to travel today, and we don’t want to be too worn out to walk!”

There was some good-natured grumbling, but the villagers didn’t seem too disappointed. They dispersed slowly, one or two of them tossing a coin or two the siblings’ way.

The last to depart was a man leaning on a cane. His bright green hair was fading to a pale sage color in places, but he still had a twinkle in his eye as he approached.

“That was a good performance you put on. Been awhile since I saw dancing like that.” He chuckled and tapped a hand on his leg. “I’d have joined in, but my dancing days are a ways behind me.”

“We’re glad you enjoyed it, sir,” said Ninian with a smile.

“What happened?” said Nils, giving the man’s leg a curious glance.

He shrugged. “Not much to tell. Used to be a cavalier in the service of Marquess Ostia, but I took a Taliver axe to the leg during a patrol up on the Sacae border, and that was the end of being light on my feet.”

“I’m sorry to hear that…”

“No need for apology, lass; this was years ago.” The man reached into his belt pouch and pulled out a few coins. “Here. I know it’s not much, but I hope it’ll help you on your travels.”

Ninian curtseyed politely. “Thank you for your generosity.”

“Thank  _ you _ , for reminding me again of how beautiful dancing can be.” With a last wave, the man limped off.

The pair watched him go for a few moments before Ninian spoke up in a soft voice.

“He was certainly a friendly one.”

“I hope it was just that. If he’d known who we are...”

Ninian made a sound halfway between annoyance and amusement. “I think you are too slow to trust, Nils.”

“And I think you are too quick to it.” Nils’ reply, though devoid of rancor, had the long-suffering air of something frequently repeated.

_ The scars of the Scouring will never fully heal,  _ he thought ruefully.  _ Neither for the humans, nor for us. _

“Well, suppose the two of us are put in some sort of danger,” said Ninian as the two of them made their way into an alleyway between two houses. “I do not believe we would find it easy to protect ourselves unaided. And I am certain there are folk who would spring to our defense, if they believed that we needed help.”

Nils shook his head. “You’re a lot more optimistic than I am.”

“Do you think I’m wrong?”

“I…” Nils’ voice trailed off, and he finally let out a long sigh. “Gods, I hope not. But after everything we went through after arriving in this world…”

“I understand.” Ninian sighed as she leaned back against the wall.

“It’s been almost a year now, and I’m still jumping at every shadow,” admitted Nils, sliding down to sit on the ground alongside his sister. “That friendly fellow back there, for instance.”

“You think he might be connected to the people after us?”

“For all I know, maybe. They certainly seem like the kind of people who’d have eyes and ears in every city on the continent.”

Ninian chewed nervously at her lower lip. “A frightening thought, to be sure…”

The pair fell silent. The months since passing through the Dragon’s Gate had been harrowing for both of them--pursued by a shadowy organization, constantly moving to evade notice, struggling to get by on what little they could glean from performances in villages like this one.  _ But all the same… _

Despite himself, Nils allowed a smile to tug at his lips. “This has been a real adventure, hasn’t it?”

Ninian relaxed slightly. “That’s one way of describing it.”

“Not long ago, I never would have been able to imagine something like this.” He kept his tone light. “I mean, sure, we’re running away from a bunch of creeps who want to capture us and probably steal our powers, but that’s exciting in its own way, isn’t it?”

His sister giggled. “ _ Now _ who’s being optimistic?”

“You must be having an effect on me.”

“That’s reassuring.” Ninian’s fingers toyed with the fringe of her scarf. “To tell the truth, Nils…”

“Yeah?”

“I understand how you’re feeling. Or at least, I think I do.” Ninian looked up at the sky, smiling faintly to herself. “All the bad things that’ve happened to us… none of them are what we’d want ourselves to go through, much less each other. It would have been better if all of that hadn’t happened at all, but still, I can’t help but feel a little happy that we went through it together.”

“Ninian…” Nils frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly.

His sister ran a hand through her hair, her cheeks flushing sheepishly. “I guess it sounds kind of selfish when I say it like that, huh?”

“Maybe, but you’re right.” Nils clambered to his feet, dusting off the back of his tunic. “No matter what happens, I have the feeling everything will work out if we’re together. So don’t go leaving me alone, okay?”

Ninian nodded. “It’s a promise.”

~ ~ ~

The plain routine of everyday life had returned to the village. Most had already dispersed about their tasks, their brief diversion all but forgotten.

But at the edge of the village, a lone man leaned on a cane and smiled down the road after a pair of departing figures, as the sound of a flute drifted into the clear sky.


End file.
